Menu

Digital Advertising by Design

Intentional Facebook Advertising

Facebook Advertising is not Google

Over the years the industry, mainly thanks to Google’s incredible Display Network, has taught us to treat Display Advertising in a not too different way to Search. That is, to hypertarget your audience, show those targeted individuals your ad and entice them with a Call to Action to come directly to your website.

For years the industry has treated Facebook Ads the same way, but this is a mistake.

Facebook is different.

Facebook is social.

How does social change advertising?

What is clear from all of our testing is that advertising a Call to Action is *most* responsive (ie. *cheapest*) when advertising to existing Likers of your Facebook page.

Conversely, advertising a Call to Action is *least* responsive (ie. *most expensive*) when advertising to a ‘cold’ interest (or even a warm re-marketed) target.

Therefore to maximise your advertising on Facebook, it is clear that we need to break from traditional Display Advertising models and advertise to all ‘cold’ interests to first become Likers and then *only* advertise Calls to Actions (ie. purchases/lead generation) to Likers.

Or in other words, use a ‘Facebook Ads Funnel’.

By using the Facebook Ads Funnel, cost savings of 30% are not unusual.

The Facebook Ads Funnel

The Facebook Ads Funnel is a completely game-changing approach to Facebook Advertising that few agencies are aware of (they are still stuck in the traditional Display mindset, ignoring Facebook’s social nature).

Practically speaking, here is an example of how we could use the Facebook Ads Funnel:

Target Email Subscribers who aren’t likers -> Encourage them to like Page

Target Web Visitors who aren’t likers -> Encourage them to like Page

Target Web Converters (purchasers) and create a Lookalike audience -> Encourage them to like Page

Target Friends of Likers -> Encourage them to like Page

Target Interests & Behaviours -> Encourage them to like Page

Target Likers -> SELL! 🙂

What Facebook wants

The Facebook Ads Funnel isn’t just a good idea, gleaned from data.

This is what Facebook *wants* you to do.

(and is almost certainly *not* what other advertisers are doing).

Consider Facebook’s point of view – they make money by having users positively engaged with the platform. If people see ads that aren’t engaging (ie. trying to sell to ‘cold leads’) then that amounts to a poor user experience. The poorer the user experience, the less people will stay on Facebook, the less money Facebook can make from ads.

Facebook wants you as an advertiser to build a relationship (ie. Liker first!) with your potential customers before you sell to them.

You will be rewarded by Facebook for doing this with cheaper clicks and more sales.

And this is the fundamental reason why the Facebook Ads Funnel works now and will continue to work into the future.

Final Thoughts

Lastly, the side benefit of advertising using the Facebook Ads Funnel model is that not only does your advertising become more effective, but at the same time you are building up your Liker base with qualified leads *and* get the bonus of uncovering Facebook Audience Insights on your Liker base for future potential marketing opportunities.